Emilia Cucina Italiana — Restaurant in Jakarta

This is my 3rd visit to Emillia, and this time it's a special occasion—it's my 25th birthday! The must-try dish is their pasta! I ordered the Aglio E Olio spaghetti for the third time 10/10. It comes with one prawn, which is divided into two. The Aglio E Olio pasta has the perfect al dente texture, just the way I like it. The savory flavor from garlic and olive oil, along with the addition of Parmesan cheese for a salty taste, creates an absolutely perfect pasta seasoning. The parsley garnish adds an extra layer of deliciousness. The quality of the prawn is incredibly fresh! There's no fishy smell, and the freshness of the prawn is truly delightful! We finished this portion together without leaving anything behind!

The second main dish is Maiale Alla Griglia or Grilled Pork Belly Balsamic Glaze 10/10. The pork belly is truly cooked to perfection! The tenderness of each bite will delight our taste buds. I believe the pork belly has been cooked for a long time, resulting in such a tender texture. As for the balsamic glaze, it's a combination of balsamic vinegar and a sweetener like honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar that has been cooked down until it transforms into this amazingly delicious thick, syrupy mixture. The pork belly is coated with the balsamic glaze, giving it a delightful sweet and tangy flavor. Although the balsamic layer may not be very thick, it doesn't diminish the quality of the taste. The flavor is truly exceptional!

The snack we always order is the truffle-seasoned fries. The truffle topping or mushroom adds an extra layer of deliciousness to my French fries. The flavor of truffle is difficult to describe, but it might be similar to a "mushroom" taste. The fries are well-seasoned with a savory and salty flavor. The texture of the fries is satisfyingly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, making each bite delightful.

The last dessert is a slice of tiramisu (10/10)! Oh, believe me, one slice is enough for two people. The strong coffee flavor combined with the added alcohol makes this cake incredibly delicious. The aroma of alcohol is very prominent, adding to the enjoyment. The cake itself has a sweet taste, and there's also plain milk poured on top of the tiramisu to balance out the bitterness of the coffee powder. Everything is perfect!

We received the best service from a server named Kak Wayan. Kak Wayan attended to us and served our dinner in an extraordinary manner. They explained their best menu options, surprised us with a birthday song, and even helped us capture photos together. We were...

Emilia Cucina is the most authentic Italian restaurant we visited in Jakarta so far.

As you walk into the restaurant, you feel like you're in Italy. Especially the smell from the kitchen makes you travelling to Italy in a few seconds.

We were sitting in a corner, the tables and decoration looks like in Italy too.

The service was really polite and aware of every step. As we sit down, the candle was enlightened and we got recommendations for cocktails and aperitifs.

The bar has a big variety of cocktails and drinks like Martini rosso or Aperol. There are also Italian wines available like Lambrusco, which is rare to find in Jakarta.

The food was really delicious. We received a complimentary bread basket with foccacia bread which was a bit too dry compared to usual foccacia bread with a soft skin. But the pasta as primi and the grilled octopus as secondi was of five star quality. Not too many ingredients, much love and big taste - like in Italy. We can recommend every dish we had. The meat was the best we hsd so far in Jakarta, soft and tender!

BUT you recognize you're in Indonesia when you try the Tiramisu. It's a new hype of making a dry Tiramisu with less mascarpone and to serve a coffee-milk-liquid next to it. Absolutely non-sense, although it's becoming quite common in Asian restaurants. On my opinion, it would have been better if the restaurant sticks to their authentic principles, at least offering both options. But ok, Mascarpone is much more expensive than cream or milk, I see.

When we left the restaurant, we had the chance to try the ice cream sold outside. It was soooo delicious again! Just like... in Italy. Would have been a better dessert than the tiramisu.

That's why I give "only" 4 stars - with a big recommendation for everyone to visit the restaurant and for Emilia Cucina to stay on the...

Had high expectations for this place as many described it as hidden gem. As We walked into the establishment, we thought looks legit Italian food, we're talking of a stone oven in front of the restaurant! But really the food was overrated and overpriced.

First of all, the waiter took a wrong order. We had ordered for pappardelle ragu but pappardelle con bistecca came out. Since we were too hungry to wait for another replacement, we accepted the dish but it was a bit of let down when we learn we were charged for the wrong dish instead. Anyway.. The pappardelle had homemade feeling with really pleasant chewy texture, cooked to perfection. The mushroom sauce was also a nice compliment, not overwhelmingly creamy and I really appreciate the generous amount of fresh parsley they use. However the steak was a big let down. The menu mentioned sirloin steak but what came out was few slices of meltique steak. What a major major disappointment.

Since one of us had wanted tomato base dish at the beginning and we are still hungry after a basket of bread and pasta, we ordered the Figa di Latte pizza. Looked good when it came but everything was bland. From the bread dough to the tomato sauce was tasteless, we had to request for additional black pepper and salt.

Similar thing with the aglio olio. The pasta was cooked al dente but not properly seasoned.

The tiramisu we ordered was just ok. I guess the nice thing about it is they put chocolate nibs in the cake layer, quite creative.

Another nice thing they have here is the selection of drink. They have on-going happy hour deal for Kura ale: buy 1 get 1 free. I was just thought it was weird they serve it in a...